Born in Milan in 2019, THEMOIRè is an independent, ethically and sustainably made brand, dedicated to generating a positive change with particular attention to functional elegance and quality. Using innovative materials and collaborating with unique artisans around the world its generating positive change for people and our planet.
INTERVIEWS
DSCENE Magazine Fashion Director Katarina Doric sits down with the creative duo behind THEMOIRè, Salar Bicherenloo and Francesca Monaco, to talk about their creative process, materials they use and balancing ethics and aesthetics.
Hi Salar and Francesca, happy to have you in DSCENE! How did you two meet and how did you decide to start the brand?
Francesca Monaco: We are a couple in work and life. Salar studied industrial design and worked for big names like Alessi and Alessandro Mendini, while I graduated in fashion design at the Politecnico di Milano, worked for names like Costume National and then moved to Mexico where we met. We combined our skills with the brand SALAR and have been recognized in 2015 by Vogue Talents as Emerging Designers. However, we both always long felt the need to work on a responsible and future-oriented fashion project with the minimum environmental impact. We launched THEMOIRe? in 2019 with the aim of generating a positive change for people and for our planet, creating a brand with the lowest possible environmental impact, ethical and ecologically responsible, with particular attention to functional elegance and quality.
What is it like working as a creative duo? Can you please tell us a bit about the process?
Salar Bicheranloo: Francesca and I have been working together hand in hand for more than 15 years now, so you can say we are a perfect team.We are proud to say that we have a lot of freedom in our creative process. We begin with an idea, a message, a story we want to share with our community, and from there we start to materialize that universe into actual handbags, accessories and most recently footwear. Materials play a very important role in our collections at THEMOIRè. As protecting nature is one of our biggest concerns, we are constantly researching new eco-fabrics from the fashion tech industry, plant-based materials and others from innovative recycling processes.
Being young as well as established designers, what’s the biggest challenge you faced when starting your label and making a name for yourself in the industry?
FM: Surely the biggest challenge we faced when we launched THEMOIRè project in September 2019 was the pandemic right at the same time as the collection was delivered to the market. Fortunately,besides the difficult period, the response was positive, probably in part because of our vision to maintain a price point which could be accessible to most people, with the aim to be the most inclusive as possible.
However, we are extremely grateful with the enormous support we have received from the industry (especially in Milan) and from our worldwide community. This is very important because the eco-conscious industry is still developing and is not always ready to meet the demands and deadlines of the fashion industry. While it has always been our main goal to work towards a better future, we feel that we have a responsibility, and we support other projects and initiatives that embody our same values as much as we can.We plant a tree for each product sold in partnership with Tree Nation – to date we have planted almost 30,000 trees, generating about 950 tons of CO2 absorbed – and donate a percentage to non-profits that are committed to climate change and vulnerable communities.
The name THEMOIRè is inspired by the Greek personification of fate. Why did you choose it?
SB: Just as the three ancient Greek goddesses “The Moirae” orchestrated the destiny of people, THEMOIRe? would like to sew the seams of a more responsible future. This has always been our mission since the inception of our project, and it is a constant reminder of our values. We believe in the co-existence of boundless creativity, purpose-driven responsibility, and responsible growth.
You’ve established your practice in Milan. Is Milan a place to be for a fashion brand?
FM: Milan, besides being the place where we live and built our professional experience, is one of the most relevant cities for the fashion industry and creativity in general, from design to food, it is one of the most well-known sectors of Made in Italy. In fact, it is here where we have also found realities that have been able to support us in the foundation of our project, producers who help us, which is why our bags are made in Milan. We shouldn’t find a better place to start our business, always keeping in mind our roots and looking outside for innovative inputs and ideas.
You’ve incorporated an environmental ethic into your brand. Has that always been a part of your world?
SB: It has always been part of our personal path and, of course, the pillars of the THEMOIRe? DNA.Our eco-conscious mindset goes from our actions and how we build a network that interacts all around the world, to each of our bags and accessories –from the materials we use to our design approach.
How do you balance aesthetics and ethics?
FM: As creative directors we have a strong sense of beauty and aesthetic, which we like to translate into product and collection that transcend seasons and trends. And we do so through designs that are both functional and appealing, long lasting, made of high-quality materials that are aligned with our mission.For instance, we create and design specific collections working closer with artisanal excellences around the world, working closer with the craftmanship cultures and community we use to involve in the process.
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Tell us about the materials you use?
SB: We use more than 15 innovative materials from plant-based fabrics to recycled and new regenerated material processes. Among these you can find eco-fabrics from the Nopal Cactus plant, apple peels and cores made by the waste of agriculture industry, and from pineapple leaves harvest. We also use water-based PU which replaces organic solvents with water. Regarding natural materials, we use cork, raffia, hemp, as well as bamboo fibers approved by the Forest Stewardship Council standards, and organic cotton for our dust bags.
Recycled materials cover eco-fur made from completely cruelty free recycled polyester and pre-used garments, recycled Tetra Pak originated from recycled polylaminate food boxes, and recycled aluminum with its infinite recyclability to reduce the emissions in the atmosphere. Besides, all linings are made using 100% recycled materials, predominantly from PET plastic bottles and even the threads and internal labels are formed from recycled nylon, which comes from fishing nets, to divert garbage from the oceans.
The first chapter of your ongoing TOGETHER by THEMOIRè project was dedicated to the Mexican community of Oxchuc, Chiapas. Now you have the second chapter coming up. Can you please tell us more about it?
FM: Our TOGETHER by THEMOIRè is a series of projects that we started to enhance the craftsmanship of communities in situations of vulnerability to preserve traditions and to communicate their own stories through the products developed together. All proceeds from the project benefit the local community directly involved. For Chapter 2, we identified a community of female artisans in Madagascar, Antananarivo, who realize an excellent work with raffia and together we built up a collection of bags made of this local material.It’s always inspiring working with such amazing craftmanship cultures, and we are proud to support and keep continuing the artisanal excellence of a community or district, giving our support in a concrete and real way because the most if this communities suffer a lack of basic resources. Telling their story, communicating their values and needs and giving them an opportunity to work is our way to leave a positive footprint. Also, for this chapter of Together by THEMOIRè in Madagascar we involved local talents such as photographers and videographers to build the entire project and we will donate100% profits to the Avoko Association for the local orphanages.
The result is a very special capsule collection of almost 20 bags, distributed worldwide and with a special edition for Neiman Marcus for the US market and we really invite all to have a look and buy to increase the donation to the Avoko Association which are doing a great job for their kids.
Your SS23 collection for the first time includes footwear. Was it a logical next step for you?
SB: We started with the SS20 with a mono-product bag and the evolution has been consistent with the values of environmental as well as social responsibility that characterize the project. The launch of the footwear collection fully reflects the THEMOIRè DNA. We just have been thinking about a highly symbolic eco-friendly shoe, which leaves a positive imprint of our passage on our planet and which contributes to its well-being. The sole, for instance, with embossed logo, is made with a rubber derived from cork remnants, a 100% green material whose collection, like pruning, strengthens the tree.
THEMOIRè for us is not a brand but rather a project, it develops around its values and not around the products. For this reason, we like to pursue our ethics with new capsules that always carry the DNA of the project with them. Footwear is another big category in the industry where quality tends to be linked immediately to leather, that’s why we thought that footwear was our next natural step to bring our know-how as a cruelty free and eco-conscious reality.
What’s next for THEMOIRè?
FM: We are really excited to officially launch our Spring-Summer 2023 collection soon, which will include our first footwear and the second chapter of our TOGETHER by THEMOIRè project series.As we like to think of THEMOIRè as an out-of-the-box brand, we are also focusing on more projects and collaborations with associations that are committed to climate change and vulnerable communities, both strategic partners to carry on meaningful collaborations.
Keep up with THEMOIRè on Instagram – @themoire
